Joakim Noah Wants Cavs In Playoffs, Still Not Impressed By Cleveland As A City
(CBS) Despite the Atlanta Hawks' 57-19 mark, there's plenty of sentiment that the the Bulls and Cavaliers will collide to decide the Eastern Conference.
Chicago big man Joakim Noah hopes that's the case. After a 99-94 loss to the Cavaliers on Sunday, he emphasized that he wants them in a seven-game series.
"We're a confident group," Noah said, according to ESPN.com. "And it would be great to play them in the playoffs. It would be very, very exciting, something that I really hope happens."
Noah was his usual passionate self in Sunday's loss, going to far as to send vulgarities LeBron James' way. Noah has long had an edge toward James, dating back to the latter's first go-around in Cleveland. Noah famously ripped the city of Cleveland in 2010, saying, "You think Cleveland's cool? I never heard anybody say I'm going to Cleveland on vacation. What's so good about Cleveland?"
On Sunday, he sent another barb Cleveland's way.
"This is a great place to play basketball," Noah said. "Other than that, there's not much else to do. But when you get onto that court, it's a great place to play basketball. That's as much love as I'll give to Cleveland."
The Cavaliers have nearly clinched the Central Division at 50-27. The Bulls are 46-31 and sit in third place in the East, a game ahead of the Raptors. That would put Cleveland and Chicago on a collision course in the second round.
Cleveland won the season series 3-1 against Chicago.
